Brotherly Love
by percyjacksonfan135
Summary: AU. Follow up to my previous stories, Growing Pains and Baby Steps. Being written by Historyexplorer12. Harry is now 10 and his speech is better. But can he handle being a big brother when he himself is disabled? Lots of fluff.
1. Three Months Later

Hello again. I have a new story that is being written by Historyexplorer12, but it's a follow up to a story called Baby Steps. It will talk more about the deepening bond between Harry and my OC, and his half-sister, Maria. Please enjoy. Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HP.

Brotherly Love

Chapter 1:

Three Months Later

Nearly three months had passed since Maria had been born and things were crazy at times. Harry, now 10 years old, was spending more and more time with Alex and Zack, who were not only helpers for his Aunt Petunia, they were in fact his biological father and stepfather. Zack had told Petunia, Sally, Poseidon, and Percy this news earlier that spring about how he had met their sister Lily after she had run away and the entire story about the adoption had come out. But that had been 6 months ago, and Harry was Somewhat used to the idea of seeing a baby in the house. He even went so far as to follow the young men around while they took care of Maria, or Mari', as Harry called her. This was one of these times. It was Saturday, and Harry was staying with the two young men for the weekend.

He had just finished his lunch, so Alex helped him clean up. Harry giggled when Alex wiped the sauce from his chin and nose with a wet washcloth. "A-A-Alex, tickles," Harry told his stepfather.

Alex laughed. "I know it does, Bud," he answered. "Good job letting me know!" Since Harry had been at a therapy school called Hogwarts, his speech had dramatically improved. But it wasn't just the school that helped him; it was the fact that his father had come back into his life that really did the trick. It was no secret that Harry and Zack were close; in fact, Petunia had seen just how close they were the morning of Vernon's death. She had seen how her nephew ran to him and she had seen Zack pick him up and do nothing but hold him. But the memory was short lived when Maria began to cry.

"Da, I help wi' Mari'?" Zack had just gone into Maria's nursery where Alex had put her down for her nap to find that she was both wet and hungry.

"Oh, Harry, Buddy, you scared Daddy," Zack turned to the ten-year-old, who was sitting on the carpeted floor right behind him; hand over his heart from the shock. "Of course you can help, but be very quiet and gentle, okay? Let me get a mat... Mommy's here, Baby Girl, shh..." as Maria continued to cry and scream while lying in her crib, Zack was turned toward the closet where they kept her clothes, diapers, and other necessities.

Harry looked between his Daddy and his sister a few times before crawling across the floor and pulling himself to a stand on the crib's bars, "Da, Mari' crying."

"I know, Buddy, I know... Alex, did you buy diapers? I can't find any!" Zack continued to rummage through the closet, frantic and stressed, "Alex!"

"Diapers?" Harry asked curiously, "Da, Mari' wear diapers? Like me, Da?"

"Yes, Buddy, Maria wears diapers like you do... Alex!"

"I'm here, I'm here," Harry's stepfather appeared in the doorway to the nursery, wiping his hands on a dishtowel as he had just come from washing the dishes from Harry's lunch of spaghetti with sauce. "They should be right there-"

"Da, found diapers!" Harry announced, and the adults turned only to find him over by Maria's box of toys and stuffed animals, holding the bag with a triumphant smile on his face.

"Good boy, Harry!"

Alex went over to where Harry stood shakily to help him sit on the floor so that he could help them change Maria. They all settled on the floor and as Zack called for things- such as a new diaper or the baby powder, Harry handed it to him. Within no time, Maria was cooing and gurgling, comfortable once again. Harry was happy that he had helped take care of his sister without hurting her.

"All right, Bud," Alex picked Harry up as he stood up from the floor, "Now we have to feed her."

Harry beamed at his stepfather, "I help?"

Alex chuckled at the boy's eagerness as he nodded, "Of course you can, Sweetheart."

With some maneuvering, Zack and Alex soon had warmed Maria's bottle and helped Harry over to the rocking chair in her nursery, Zack sitting the chair first to help Harry support his baby sister. Once they gave Harry the bottle and Maria started to drink, Alex sat on the carpeted floor by the chair, watching his boy's joy as he held Maria and fed her.

"Da, I feeding Mari'!" Harry squealed in excitement.

"Yes you are. Such a good big brother. But shh, don't want to scare her, do we?"

Harry shook his head and continued to watch his sister, studying her face closely. Then, when she was about halfway through her bottle, and much to Harry's delighted surprise, she reached a tiny hand up and grasped one of his fingers that was holding the bottle aloft with some help from Zack, clutching it tightly. Harry gasped quietly in delight.

"Da, Mari' has my 'inger!"

It was Alex who answered him, patting Harry's knee from his place on the carpet, "She loves you. She's telling you that she loves you, Bud."

"I 'ove Mari' too, Da."

"I know you do, Bud, I know you do."


	2. Flashbacks and Conversations

Disclaimer: I Don't own PJO Or HP.

Chapter 2:

Flashbacks and Conversations

In the weeks following Harry's first real interaction with his new sister, the adults in his life noticed a drastic change in Harry. For instance, when he was with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, he would ask for Maria constantly, and talk about her nonstop as well. In contrast, when he was with Zack and Alex, he would make sure he was always in whatever room Maria was in, and would watch her as she fell asleep for her nap. At first, everyone- especially Zack and Alex- thought his attention toward Maria was sweet and cute, but after three weeks of this change, they all began to get worried. Finally, Zack and Alex sat down with Harry after Maria went down for her nap.

"Mari', Mari'," he repeated as they walked him into the living room, head turned back toward her nursery.

"In a minute, Bud," Alex reassured the scared child as they all neared the couch. Then he helped Zack lift Harry very gently onto his lap; Alex taking a seat beside the pair. "Daddy and I want to talk to you for a little bit first."

They both watched as Harry's eyes widened in horror. Before they could ask what was wrong, the little boy was off his father's lap and backing away slowly toward the corner of the room.

"Harry? What's wrong, Sweetheart?" Zack stood up off the couch and made his way toward his son, only to stop cold when Harry started to crouch against the wall and raised his arms over his head; screaming and crying.

Alex swore under his breath as the two men realized they had somehow sent Harry into a flashback. Although these had become less and less frequent over the past two years, and now they were almost nonexistant. Almost. It didn't seem to help that Harry's screams had woken Maria, who added her own cries to the noise.

"Alex, grab Maria and then call Petunia and Dr. Lupin!" crouching slowly, Zack focused on his distressed son; watching heartbrokenly as Harry remained crouched in the corner, sobbing and moving his eyes about the room as if he meant to watch the entire room at once, but couldn't. His hands had been clasped tightly over his ears as well. "Baby... Harry, talk to me please. Talk to Daddy. What scares you, Bud? Daddy's here, nothing can hurt you. I promise."

"No talk, no talk. I sorry, Harry sorry... Owie, owie..."

"You have nothing to be sorry for Sweetheart. What hurts? Does something hurt? What's 'owie,, Sweetheart?"

"No hit, no hit. I be good, I be good..." Harry refused to focus on Zack, eyes darting around the room instead.

And then, Zack understood. Vernon must have said he and Harry "needed to talk" when he got angry at Harry and beat him.

He watched as Harry crouched down as far as he could, trying to make himself as small as possible. His sobs had lessened to crying, but he still kept his hands over his head and ears. Then he began to call out for Zack in a whisper.

"Da, where my Da? Where my Da? Messy... Harry messy... Sorry, sorry, sorry..."

"Sweetheart, did you use your diaper? Is your diaper dirty?"

"Da mad that I messy? Sorry, sorry, sorry..."

"There's no reason to be sorry, Sweetheart. This is why you have a diaper." By now, Alex had returned from settling Maria down and putting her back to sleep after calling Petunia and Dr. Lupin. "Alex, can you get a mat and one of his diapers, and the other supplies? Come here, Sweetheart-" Zack reached for Harry as Alex went to collect what they needed to change him.

As Zack reached for him, Harry watched him with horrified eyes. Then, when Zack finally touched Harry to pull him away from the corner, Harry started to yell again. Zack could hear Alex running from down the hall back to them, startled by the sound.

"Da, Da, Da!" Harry called out.

"Baby, it's me!" Zack answered, desperate now and almost in tears at the sight of his child's struggle. "It's Daddy! Nobody will hurt you! I promise!"

"Zack!" Alex went to try to calm both his partner and stepson; "You're making it worse. May I try?"

Zack stood up and walked back to the couch, wiping his eyes with his hands.

"Harry, Sweetheart..." Alex bent down and tried to catch the boy's eye as Harry stared down at the floor, "Do you want me to change your diaper?"

"NO! WANT DA! AHH!" Harry began to holler, cry, and kick, but Alex, who had had some practice with his son's tantrums, evaded the potentially harmful flailing.

"Daddy's right there, Sweetheart, see?" Alex pointed back toward the couch where Zack still sat.

Panting slightly from his outburst, Harry had enough time in the midst of his fit to look over toward the couch and see Zack, who was looking back at him hesitantly, face tear streaked and hopeful.

"Da?" Harry pointed at him, looking up at his stepfather.

"Yes, that's Daddy. Do you want-" but he never got to finish his question.

Reaching out desperately toward Zack, Harry called for him, "Daddy!"

In an instant, he was in Zack's arms, cuddled against him.

"Oh my baby... my sweet boy... Nobody's going to hurt you anymore, I promise. The bad man is gone... I'm here, Daddy's here..."

Zack pulled away from Harry briefly to look at his boy, and saw that his eyes spoke for him now that he was quiet and content. "Love me," they seemed to say, "Tell me I'm safe with you."

And so, laying his baby boy on a changing mat with Alex's help, Zack did just that.


	3. Admission

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HP.

Chapter 3:

Admission

It wasn't too long that Harry's cries had turned to hiccups. Now that he was allowing Zack and Alex to hold him after they had changed him, Zack had taken him back to the couch and simply held him while Alex brought Maria to the living room so Harry could see her as he had requested earlier, even though the little girl was sleeping soundly.

Sniffling, Harry reached out to her, keeping quiet just like he had been taught. His tears soon stopped completely, and he leaned into Zack's chest, exhausted and comforted by his father's closeness as he babbled about nothing and everything. Then he yawned hugely.

"I think someone needs a nap," Zack said as he carefully stood up from the couch to carry Harry to his room.

"No... No no, Da!" Harry began to beg, and his small body began to shake, "No no! Bad man come! Come get Harry!"

Zack knew about what Vernon had done to his son, but there were things only Harry knew, and therefore no one else would probably ever know, because Harry could not or would not tell them. It wouldn't matter how attached he was to the adults around him, and that knowledge made Zack's heart ache the most. He could only hope that his son would trust him enough to come to him when it all became too much for him to deal with on his own.

By this point, Zack had reached Harry's room and was laying him down on his bed. When Harry admitted his fear, Zack sighed sadly and sat on the edge of the bed, running a soothing hand through Harry's perpetually messy hair.  
>"The bad man will never hurt you again. I promise, Sweetheart."<p>

"Da s'eep wit' me? S'eep wit' Harry? Please Da?"

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, how about that?" Zack settled onto Harry's bed as he said this, lying down beside his son. Harry gave a sleepy nod and then gave a huge yawn before reaching out a hand to grasp onto Zack's hand before finally shutting his eyes.

It was an hour at most before Harry's breathing deepened and slowed enough to let Zack know that his boy was truly sleeping. With that in mind, Zack very carefully detangled himself from Harry's grasp and stood up from the small bed, turning to bend down and give Harry a soft kiss to the temple and whisper "Good night, my Angel," to him.

When Zack was sure Harry was sleeping soundly, he got up from the bed quietly, working a kink out of his lower back as he stood. While Harry's bed was perfect for the growing ten-year-old, it was rather small for Zack's full-grown height. Not that he would ever tell Harry that. It was a rather small sacrifice Zack was happy to make for as long as Harry needed him.

Once he was comfortable, Zack made his way out of the room, making a detour to the nursery to check on Maria before finally going out into the rest of the house, where he had heard the TV on low in the living room.

"He okay?" Alex looked up from where he had been watching the news.

"Fine. God, I'm tired," he flopped down next to his significant other, whose body immediately shifted on the couch to better mold with his, a hand coming down to knead at his lower back as if Alex had unconsciously known he needed it.

"Didn't you lay down with Harry? Why didn't you sleep then?"

"If I had I wouldn't have gotten up for hours. With the baby, and Harry, it's not something I can afford."

"Well, gosh, now I feel horrible. If you had just told me I could have gotten up with Maria more often."

"No sense in us both being tired..." Zack yawned.

"Zack, that's ridiculous. We're partners. And I don't know about you, but I'm in this for the long haul. Remember Sarah? She was a lot like Harry is now, and we all handled that. Including Lily. She would have been so happy to have Harry in her life, Zack. My point is, don't be afraid to ask for help every once in a while. You have a bunch of people who just love Harry and Maria just as they are, and would be glad to lend a hand. Okay?"

"Okay. You're too good to me," Zack smiled.

Alex gave him a light kiss on the lips, "That's what I'm here for, Sweetheart. Now," he stood up from the couch, reaching down with a hand to help Zack stand, "how about that nap?"

As the young father drifted off to sleep for a much-needed nap, Alex's question repeated itself in his mind. Of course Zack remembered Sarah. How could anyone who knew her forget her? And what Alex had said about Sarah being a lot like his 10-year-old son was true. She had never been abused or anything, but because of her down syndrome, her personality and mannerisms were very similar to his son's. Zack missed her dearly. Although Sarah was Alex's younger sister, Zack had babysat for her so often that he thought of her as the younger sister he never had. And without realizing it, the young man went into a strange, but lifelike dream about her.

It was shortly after Harry had been born and Zack once again asked Lily to come with him to Alex's house and to bring the baby with them. "What for?" Lily asked curiously. But she smiled knowingly and agreed to Zack's request. "You have to baby-sit; don't you?" She asked somewhat teasingly.

Zack smiled and nodded. "Last time I babysat for Sarah, she kept asking for baby," he said with a slight laugh. So, I think she deserves to see him. Don't you think?"

So, it was settled. When Zack called Alex to let him know that Lily would be coming with him, Alex was delighted. "Sarah will be so happy to see her!" He exclaimed. "She's been driving me, mom and dad crazy ever since the baby was born," he said with a laugh. And when the young adults got there, Alex's little sister literally threw herself into Zack's arms crying, "Mama, Mama?"

With the little girl in his lap, Zack sat down on the carpet with Lily holding their newborn son beside him. "No, sweetie," Zack said gently, "it's Zack. Remember? The little girl tried in vain to say his name, but as it was, her speech was not the best due to her down syndrome, but everyone, including Zack took their time with her in order to help her improve her speech. Little Sarah was so happy and excited to see her babysitter and his girlfriend that it was hard for her to stay still in Zack's lap. She kept bouncing up and down, and twice, Zack had to keep her from hitting her head as she was moving around so much. Zack laughed when he saw the pure excitement on the five-year-old's face. "Wow! I think someone gave you way too much sugar," he gently teased. "Can you settle down now? There is someone here who I think you were asking about the last time."

The child looked up at her babysitter with confusion, but then she saw Lily holding the newborn and she squealed, "baby!"

Sarah started to get up, but the young man gently settled her back down. "I know you're excited, Sweetheart," Zack said quietly and gently, "but, Harry's just a little baby, so you have to be very quiet and gentle. Okay? You don't want to scare him; do you?" So, very carefully and gently, Zack helped the five-year-old to reach out to his son. She was a little startled when Harry started to gurgle, but she calmed down again when Zack hugged her close to him. After that, the young man had tears running down his cheeks after the dream had ended, but he didn't even wake up from his much-needed nap. All that Zack knew and understood was that he missed the child terribly even though she was not his little sister.


End file.
